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Participation and Activity Limitation Survey: Employment
Labour market performance was strong for people with activity limitations between 2001 and 2006, resulting in reduced gaps with Canadians without such limitations, in employment, labour force participation and unemployment.
People with activity limitations posted strong growth in their employment rate, from 49.3% in 2001 to 53.5% in 2006, narrowing the gap to the population without activity limitations with an employment rate of 75.1% in 2006.
Labour force participation for people with activity limitations rose from 56.9% in 2001 to 59.6% in 2006, again reducing the gap with people without activity limitations.
The unemployment rate for people with activity limitations dropped from 13.2% in 2001 to 10.4% in 2006, narrowing the gap by roughly one-third with those without activity limitations.
Labour force changes by the severity and type of activity limitation
People with severe or very severe activity limitations experienced solid growth in the employment rate between 2001 and 2006, from 31.8% to 38.3%.
In contrast, the gain in the employment rate among people with moderate activity limitations was comparatively smaller, rising from 54.0% to 56.6% during the same period.
Activity limitations can be experienced in various forms. The Participation Activity Limitation Survey examined 10 different types of activity limitations. These activity limitations included hearing, seeing, communication, mobility, agility, pain, learning, memory, developmental, and psychological.
Employment rates rose for all types of activity limitations, with the largest increase for those with learning limitations, from 32.5% in 2001 to 41.8% in 2006.
Note to readersThis report is the fifth in a series of releases analyzing information from the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS). It contains the survey results on the employment situation for adults 15 to 64 with activity limitations. Activity limitation and disability are used interchangeably in this report. A person with an activity limitation is defined as a person whose everyday activities are limited because of a health-related condition or problem. This report examines changes in the labour market for people with and without activity limitations between 2001 and 2006, barriers to employment for people with activity limitations and perceived workplace discrimination. This report uses census data on employment to measure the labour market experience of people with and without activity limitations using the same labour market concepts and reference periods. The PALS survey data were used to determine the respondent's activity limitation status. All data in this report have been age-standardized to remove the impact of substantial differences in age structures between the populations with and without activity limitations. The PALS severity scale was derived using disability concepts from the World Health Organisation. For more information, see Participation and Activity Limitation Survey 2006: Technical and Methodological Report (89-628-XWE2007001, free). PALS was funded by Human Resources and Social Development Canada and conducted by Statistics Canada. The survey provides essential information on the prevalence of different activity limitations, the types of support available to people with activity limitations, their employment profile, income and participation in social activities. Reports dealing with issues such as income and family impact among people with activity limitations will be released later in 2008. |
Employment among people with activity limitations increased across all age groups between 2001 and 2006. The most growth occurred among those aged 55 to 64, at more than twice the growth rate of the population.
Barriers to labour force participation for people with activity limitations
In 2006, nearly two-thirds of people 15 to 64 with an activity limitation and not working self-reported that they were completely prevented from working by their activity limitation. It is interesting to note that some with severe limitations reported they could work while others with less severe limitations reported they could not because of their limitation. The severity of the activity limitation had a major impact on a person's ability to participate in the labour force. Nevertheless, more than one-quarter of people with severe or very severe disabilities self-reported that their activity limitation did not completely prevent them from working. On the other hand, nearly one-quarter of people with mild activity limitations self-reported that they were not able to work.
About 700,000 Canadians with an activity limitation reported that their condition limited the amount or kind of work they could do. About three-quarters of employed people with a severe activity limitation reported they were limited at work, three times the proportion of those with a mild limitation.
Workplace accommodations
The most common accommodation required for employed people with activity limitations was a modification to working hours or days, or reduced work hours. This was reported by one-fifth of employed people with activity limitations. About 1 in 6 required a special chair or back support or a job redesign, while about 1 in 10 required a modified or ergonomic workstation.
Perceived discrimination
In 2006, people with activity limitations who were already employed generally reported the least discrimination, followed by those who were not in the labour force and then the unemployed.
The reporting of perceived discrimination also increased with the severity of the activity limitation: 2.2% of people with a mild limitation, 5.0% with a moderate activity limitation and 11.2% with a severe or very severe activity limitation reported they had been refused a promotion.
Young people with an activity limitation were more likely to report instances of perceived discrimination than older age groups.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3251.
The article "Participation and Activity Limitation Survey 2006: Labour force experience of people with disabilities in Canada" is now available as part of The 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey: Disability in Canada (89-628-XWE2008007, free) series. A set of tables entitled "Participation and Activity Limitation Survey 2006: Tables (Part III)" is also available from the same series (89-628-XWE2008008, free) under the Publications module of our website.
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Andrew MacKenzie (613-951-2544), Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division.
